Daniel Roche is a French social and cultural historian whose primary research focuses on the cultural history of France during the later years of the Ancien Régime. He delves into the everyday lives, mentalities, and social transformations that shaped French society in the lead-up to the revolution. His work illuminates the subtle nuances and intricate processes driving the evolution of French culture and society. Roche's analyses provide profound insights into the mindset and customs of the era's inhabitants.
Focusing on the history of dress in seventeenth and eighteenth-century France, the book examines how clothing choices reflect social class distinctions. Through an analysis of inventories, it reveals the varying expenditures on attire and the types of fabrics utilized by different social strata. Daniel Roche situates this study within the broader context of French historiography, offering insights into cultural practices related to appearance during this period.
The Birth of Consumption in France, 1600 1800
The book explores the emergence of consumer society through an analysis of the historical significance of everyday objects. Daniel Roche delves into how these items reflect societal changes and contribute to the understanding of consumer culture. By tracing the evolution of common goods, the narrative highlights the interplay between material culture and social dynamics, offering insights into the values and behaviors that shape consumerism.
The foremost historian of 18th-century France explores how the Old Regime's institutions operated and how they were understood by the people who worked within them. Roche depicts the "culture of appearances"--the food and clothing, living quarters, and reading material of the peasant, the merchant, the noble, the King, from Paris to the provinces.
When a world renowned scientist is found brutally murdered in a Swiss research facility, a Harvard professor, Robert Langdon, is summoned to identify the mysterious symbol seared onto the dead man's chest. His baffling conclusion: it is the work of the Illuminati, a secret brotherhood presumed extinct for nearly four hundred years - reborn to continue their bitter vendetta against their sworn enemy, the Catholic church. In Rome, the college of cardinals assembles to elect a new pope. Yet somewhere within the walls of the Vatican, an unstoppable bomb of terrifying power relentlessly counts down to oblivion. While the minutes tick away, Langdon joins forces with Vittoria Vetra, a beautiful and mysterious Italian scientist, to decipher the labyrinthine trail of ancient symbols that snakes across Rome to the long-forgotten Illuminati lair - a secret refuge wherein lies the only hope for the Vatican. But with each revelation comes another twist, another turn in the plot, which leaves Langdon and Vetra reeling and at the mercy of a seemingly invisible enemy... --back cover
Rachel Sexton works for the National Reconnaissance Office as an intelligence officer. She is also the daughter of a Senator currently running for President. Her father s main offensive, and a very popular one, against the incumbent President is to attack
Allan and Barbara Pease are the world's foremost experts in personal relationships. Their books, seminars and TV programmes have made them household names from Australia to the UK and from the USA to Japan. In their follow-up to the multi-million selling WHY MEN DON'T LISTEN AND WOMEN CAN'T READ MAPS, Allan and Barbara use the same combination of startling observation of people's actions towards one another, humour and practical advice to teach the reader more about what men and women want from relationships, and how to get it.